Interview With a Ninja
by Xfanatic
Summary: Sasuke is a vampire and he wants to take Naruto along with him on the road from which his soul can never possibly return. What can Naruto do, having to cope with his respect for human life on one hand and struggle with an arrogant vampire on the other?
1. To sleep in a coffin

Discalimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything to do with Anne Rice. Wish I owned Lestat though...

"It was a cold day... rather like this one when it happened." The voice was coming from a figure, engulfed in the shadows. "Of course, I don't feel the cold now." He turned slightly, and the young man in the centre of the room shivered slightly. Now, from the light of the moon, he could just about see the man's face, his gleaming blue eyes glinting in the corner of the dark room.

"So vampires don't feel the cold?" He questioned.

"We are always cold, so no, we don't feel it. It is on the rare occasion that we are allowed warmth, and that is a true joy." He walked into the light from the window, and now the man could see him clearly. He had short spiky blond hair, skin like the moon, dazzlingly blue eyes with rings of darkness surrounding the pupils, and six very strange marks across his cheeks. It looked to the man that they were scars, made by someone's twisted view of what whiskers should look like. "I suppose you'll need light if you're going to record my story?" The young man nodded. In a blur of movement the vampire went to the light-switch and back. The young man blinked, partially out of surprise and partially out of having to adjust to the sudden brightness.

"H-how did you do that?" The young man broke out in a sweat, and fumbling, he reached for a cigarette. The vampire smiled calmly.

"It was something that I was able to do, even when I was a mortal. Now, you're shaking. I'm sorry. What can I do to put you're mind at ease? Here..." He lit the cigarette for the young man, and sat him down in the rusty metal chair that was the only piece of furniture in the room, aside from a rickety table with three legs. "Lets get started shall we?"

The young man pressed Record.

Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.

When I was changed, I was a little younger than you are now. I lived in a relatively large village and I was training to become a ninja. That trick with the light-switch, I was already able to do that by the time I was fifteen. I suppose all that I learned while I was human is useless to me now. You see I came in a time before guns existed, where a person with enough individual strength was more important than a whole army. Now, the cries of nature have been drowned out by the humming of cars, and people are sitting languidly in front of their computers, televisions. It seems as though the people of this time have forgotten how to connect to life... or perhaps they are much more connected than they were before... Well, I shouldn't be talking of life. I never lived long enough to unravel it's secrets.

In my village, to become a ninja, one had to train with two other people. I was on team seven, with Sakura, the love of my life, and Sasuke, my greatest friend, and rival. There was nothing I wouldn't do to get Sakura to notice me, and I would never miss an opportunity to try and best Sasuke. Of course Sakura was head over heals in love with Sasuke, and Sasuke was all the teacher's favorite... the perfect embodiment of a ninja.

I trained hard every day. I wanted people to notice me, and I had a dream, a grand but reachable dream. I wanted to become Hokage, which was the title for the strongest ninja in the village. I'm sure that if I had remained human, I would have received the title. You see, at that time all I wanted was acknowledgment. I wanted acknowledgment from my teachers, acknowledgment from Sasuke (I would do anything to get him to recognize me as his rival), and just general acknowledgment from people, as most had the tendency to ignore me. I was kind of a black sheep in the village community.

It was all because of a demon. Don't laugh. If you can believe in vampires, why not believe in demons? It was this demon that made my life hell, but it was also the demon that held me up in battles, where I would surely have lost without it. Those that knew of the demon chose to see me as the demon itself. It was as though by being the demon's container, I was a monster myself. Although, the irony of it was that the demon was my last connection to humanity...

But enough of that. What of my change? Why did I become a vampire? It all began with Sasuke. My dear sweet, power-hungry, Sasuke. He'd had a hard life, I knew enough about it to be pretty sure that his loneliness rivaled my own, and his one goal in life was to be strong enough to kill his brother. So, searching for the power that would enable him to do that, he set off on his own, ran away from the loving care that the village never showed me, and into that hellhole that Oorichimaru governed. I know nothing of his time spent in there, only how he was when he came out.

I remember that night so clearly. Sakura and I had just come back from a mission. They were sending us both on a lot of false missions as to keep our mind off of our missing companion, and I stumbling into my two room apartment, begun to treat the wounds that I hid from Sakura. It was then he came out of the shadows.

Usually a ninja would be able to sense another's presence, but I had not noticed him at all. I later learned that this was because a vampire's body does not carry out the regular functions of a humans. I didn't hear his heart beat. He walked towards me, and for the first time in a while, I was truly afraid. As he walked towards me his eyes were fixed on a deep gash on my arm. His tongue ran sensually over his lips. Averting his eyes with difficulty, he looked at my face.

I was shocked. He seemed paler than he usually was. It was almost as if the silver of the moon were radiating off of him. His midnight black eyes were transformed into bottomless pools of ink. I could see the faint outline of blue veins clinging beneath his skin.

And softly he said, "Naruto." I got up hesitantly, and felt for the kunai hidden beneath my shirt.

"What do you want, teme?" I said, trying not to give away my nervousness.

"You." He leaped forward, and pinned me to the wall. Such strength a vampire has... even with all my years of training I could not even shake him. He put his head to the gash on my arm and started to lick at the blood around it, then slowly he brought his face up to eye level. We were so close, I actually thought he was going to kiss me. God knows what that make-up wearing Oorichimaru had done to him. I could feel his breath on my lips and I noticed for the first time how cold it was. Everything about him was cold, like he had just been swimming in the middle of January.

"What's happened to you Sasuke?" I asked.

"I've fulfilled my 'destiny.' I've finally done it. I've killed Itachi. It cost me my soul to do it." He was smiling at me. "I've sold my soul, and now you're going to join me." He lent in closer and gripped my head with one hand. I could feel his cold, cold lips on my neck. I think it was then I really started resisting. I kicked him as hard as I could and with my free hand I tried to pull his head away. He growled in frustration and in one fluid motion he picked me up and threw me to the floor.

"Don't make this hard on yourself!" Before I had time to move he pounced on me and bit my neck.

I can't describe to you what it was like. It's like trying to explain the Northern Lights to a blind person. It hurt when he sunk his teeth into me, although I later learned that vampires can make blood letting a very pleasurable experience. It was like I was sinking. I had gone underwater and I was freezing cold, yet I didn't have the energy or will to stop it. Then all of a sudden I was back to reality, and Sasuke was above me, the only distinguishable thing in a blurry haze of blues and blacks.

"Drink." A simple order, yet with infinite meaning. I smelled it at first, the blood from the wound he bit open on his wrist, and instinctively I went towards it, and latched myself on to it. All I remember is the sweet taste of it, sweeter than any cup ramen, sweeter than all the candy I'd ever stolen from the corner store. A vampire's blood is different from that of a human's. It is like comparing wine to fruit juice. After a while I could hear his voice, faded, in the background, telling me to stop. But I didn't. I couldn't. It wasn't until he finally wrenched me from his wrist that a new sensation took over me.

Death is just a transition from one state to another. It's very painful, however. Feeling my heart stop was terrifying enough as it was, but at the same time your body is ridding itself of everything that it does not need in death. I felt liquids of all sorts of things leaving me. I was being drained of everything but my blood. I could hear something inside of me screaming. I realized it was the Kyuubi. It was telling me to stop, and for the first time I saw it in it's cage in a fearful state. It was writhing around pitifully. As my life drained away, so did the Kyuubi's. I was turning into a real monster, and the demon that everyone feared was dying. I felt like laughing a bitter laugh at all those in the village, but of course, I was in no state to laugh.

When it was over, I found myself being seated into a sitting position by Sasuke.

"Isn't it wonderful?" he said, then smiled at my horrified expression.

"What have you done to me?" I wanted to lunge at him and shake him, but I was too weak.

"You have become like me. I know it feels awful at first. That dreadful thirst must be getting to you. Come on. I'll help you get your first hunt." He then pulled me to my feet, and guided me out the window.

The moon was bright, and it shone down on us, guiding our way through the village. A ninja has excellent night vision, but being a vampire changes one's whole perspective. It was amazing the first time. Everything I saw had a different edge to it, one that I'd never noticed before. A leaf on a tree was enveloped in its own world, the wood sign on the butcher's door had labyrinths of swirls and circles, and Sasuke himself walking calmly beside me looked ghastly beautiful in the moonlight, his translucent skin and laughing dark eyes.

We stopped in front of a small house, with rickety windows and a door that needed repairing. Pushing the door open he went in, and motioned for me to follow. We walked up a narrow flight of stairs, and turned into a cramped bedroom. A mother and a child were sleeping inside. I recognized the mother. She was a nasty lady who worked at the supermarket. She always did everything in her power to prevent me from getting my ramen, or overcharge me at the register. I suspect she had lost someone to the Kyuubi.

Creeping in, he walked slowly round to the bed. The little girl was clutched in her mother's arms. She must have been about four or five. Slowly, he pulled back the woman's hair and revealed her neck.

"What-" I began, but he cut me off with a motion of his hand. Beckoning me closer, I stood on the opposite end of the bed. We were leaning over them both, this perfect picture of mother and child. I could see the vein in her neck clearly, and I knew what he wanted me to do. Ah, the temptation... I could hear her heat beat, a slow steady rhythm, as she was untroubled in her sleep. I felt myself leaning forward, as if it were by someone else's will, and my teeth grazed over her neck.

My fangs weren't fully formed at that point, so the first bite was more of a tear than a bite. As soon as I punctured her flesh, she woke up and screamed. How I hated that scream! It was so loud, and it rang in my ears for the rest of my night. I drank her blood, and it was ecstasy. It was like giving a starving man tiramasu. I could vaguely hear Sasuke shouting for me to shut her up, and to kill here quickly. It was then the thought of death crossed my mind. I was killing this woman! I looked up to see Sasuke feasting on the girl. She was already limp in his arms, a thin trail of blood running down her neck, onto her dress.

I think I panicked. I must have left the house, as I heard the woman continue to scream until it was cut off abruptly. I didn't want to know what Sasuke did to her. I was running as fast as I could to my own apartment. I found that I couldn't leap up walls, or run across roofs as I used to. Without being alive, I had no chakra, as chakra was life-energy. I would, however, learn how to gain those powers again later.

Sasuke found me sitting in the corner of my room, shaking.

"Pathetic." He muttered. "Why couldn't you kill that woman? She was one of the main reason's why other mothers wouldn't let others near you? Don't deny it. I know you hated her. Why do you think I picked her?"

I growled at him, annoyed with his reasoning. "She didn't deserve to die! And what about her daughter! How could you kill a child! She was innocent. Is this what you've been doing ever since you left Konoha? _Feeding_ on people?"

"I do what I have to. It's what I am. It's what you are. We are vampires. We hunt, we kill. It's how we live. Come here." He held out his hand, and guided me to my bathroom. In the broken mirror I looked at myself. My skin had ceased to be the tan it once was. It was now almost as pale as Sasuke's, although it didn't have quite the same luminous effect. The scars on my face had faded slightly, although they had not completely diminished, and the scars all over the rest of my body were disappearing rapidly. But my eyes held the most captivating change of all. They were still the same sky blue as before, only now it appeared as though I was staring at two sapphires, with rings of onyx circling round. If my eyes were red, I could have mistaken it for the beginnings of the sharingan. I am not trying to be vain. I'm just telling you what I saw. After all, vampires are beautiful.

"You see." Sasuke said. "This is what you are." He put his arm round me, and slowly stroked my hair in a soothing, almost maternal manner. "Come, it's nearly dawn." With that, he guided me back out of the bathroom, out the window again, and down to the Uchiha mansion.

I suppose it's fitting that I spent my first night as a vampire in a place such as the Uchiha mansion. It was an old house, that hadn't been lived in for years by anyone apart from Sasuke, and it had a horror-movie type air, owing to the dreadful occurrence with Itachi years before. He led me down into the basement, and although there was absolutely no light, I found that I didn't need it with vampire eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "but I haven't had time to prepare you a coffin of your own."

"Coffin! What do we need coffins for?" I really didn't like the idea of coffins, and there had already been so much death today.

"You're dead Naruto. The dead sleep in coffins." His words resounded in my ears, and although I mentally knew I was dead, it really hadn't begun to sink in till then. I looked to Sasuke. He was pulling the lid off of a coffin and climbing in.

"Come." he said holding out his arms, and like all other commands issued from him tonight, I obeyed. "Don't worry. You'll sleep as you've never slept before." And he was right. The last thing I remember of that night was the true darkness that seemed to engulf me as the coffin lid was shut with a snap, and the protective arm Sasuke put around me. I no longer noticed his cold.

Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.Interviewwithaninja.

The young man was staring intently at Naruto's face. His cigarette had gone out, but he hadn't noticed. Naruto smiled slightly, and took the cigarette out of his hand.

"I think it's time for you to put in a new tape."

"Huh? What? Oh, yes." The young man seemed to be snapped out of his trance. He hurriedly put a new tape in. "Please, continue."

"Well then, after my first night, I found myself fully introduced to the life of a vampire..."

So, what did you think? Was it Anne Ricey enough? Or do I need to change it up a little. By the way, it's not going to Sasuke/Naruto, but vampires are sensual by nature, so... By the way, did I spell tiramasu right? You know, that really really yummy sort of cake. I don't think I'd want to be a vampire if I couldn't eat tiramasu...

Please Review! It'll help me so much if you give me some ideas!


	2. To drink or not to drink

Disclaimer- no Naruto for me… Gaara would be mine… I would hide him and then the plot would be all messed up…

'Waking up from that dead sleep for the first time was like being reborn. I stirred and felt Sasuke stirring beside me. The aches and pains of death had now completely left me, and while it would definitely not do to say that I felt 'alive,' I felt quite invigorated. What new world was before me? Sasuke pushed open the coffin lid. It slid off and we sat up. I looked at him, beautiful as always, before me. He smirked.

"Had a good sleep?" he asked.

"Very," I replied. "But what now?"

"The hunt." He said simply. I knew what the answer would be, but I still cringed.

"I'm not sure if I really want to do that again."

"Fine. You can stay here, but don't blame me when the hunger gets to you." And with that Sasuke disappeared from the room faster than the eye could follow and I was left in that lonely room. Sasuke didn't appear for many hours and I decided to wander round the dusty rooms of the Uchiha mansion. Everything was so bare, the furniture all covered. Even Sasuke's bedroom was empty except for a bed and a bookshelf. Was this how he had been living after his clan's death? I wasn't surprised that he ran away. If only I'd known I might have been able to prevent all this. I noticed a picture on his bookshelf and went to pick it up. Smiling, I saw that it was the team photo. I was glad he kept it. I put it back and walked out of his room. The hunger was starting to get to me, but I refused to bend to it. I would not become a senseless murderer. It worried me, a little, Sasuke's apparent unconcern of the death that he brought. Who would he kill tonight? Someone we knew? It seemed pointless to try and stop him.

Whilst I was thinking, I had not noticed the presence of two humans, a girl and a boy, creeping in. They must have been only about fourteen or fifteen, a few years younger than I. A board creaked under the foot of the boy, calling my attention to them.

"Shhhhh!" The girl whispered. "This place is haunted. We can't have the ghosts coming out just yet!"

"Let's explore this room." The boy said. He clearly didn't believe in ghosts. I stepped back in the shadows, not wanting to be discovered. I held my breath before remembering that I didn't have to breathe. It's hard to break old habits. They came close, so close. I could smell the salty-sweaty smell of the boy and the acrid smell of fear on the girl, quickly dispelling all the excitement she'd had before.

"Look, nothing here." The boy said, clearly bored. He was standing just in front of me and my hunger came back at full force. I tried to control it. My hands twitched, two different desires battling within me. "Don't look so scared," the boy continued, "you were the one who wanted to come here in the first place." He stepped back, as though to lean against the wall, but instead came into contact with me. My resolve shattered and I was overpowered with bloodlust.

I grabbed him, pinned him against the wall and swiftly bit him in the neck. The warm, sweet blood poured into my mouth and over my tongue. It was delicious. I could feel the life, the stolen life, pouring into my veins, warming me, making me feel human again. All this time the girl was screaming, but I paid no attention to it until it stopped. The boy's heart had ceased to beat and I looked up. I was met with Sasuke's applause.

"Brilliant, brilliant." He said, laughing. "I go out, leaving the prince of morals, the defender of human life in my house and what do I find when I get back? He's feasting! In my own bedroom!" He walked towards me slowly, predatorily, seductively. "So, what did it feel like, my Naruto? It was good wasn't it?" By this time he was leaning in close, whispering in my ear. "Come," he said, taking me by the hand, "You haven't fed enough." He led me to the girl lying prone on the floor. Sasuke must have knocked her out when he came in. I knelt down besides the girl and cradled her head in my arms.

"She's so warm." I whispered stroking the side of her face.

"Let's share her." Sasuke said, picking up her wrist. The hunger now had ebbed away and was but a dull throb in the distance.

"I can't…" I began. Immediately Sasuke looked up at me sharply.

"Why not?" He asked. "You just devoured her little boyfriend." There was a cruel curl to his lips now.

"I wasn't… I couldn't think straight." I said mournfully. "When he got so close I just… I couldn't control myself. She has a family and people who will miss her and we have a choice."

"If we let her leave alive she will tell of what she saw." Sasuke said, lips coming closer to her wrist.

"It's not right." I rejoined.

"Don't deny yourself, Naruto." Sasuke said. "You will have to accept what you are someday. Don't make it so hard on yourself." I got up to leave.

"I suppose I will have to resign myself to the fact that I always was and always will be a monster." I walked out of the room. I heard Sasuke's voice call after me.

"You can't run away from it!"

InterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninja

The boy was sitting at his desk, scribbling notes furiously.

"And the girl," he asked, "did Sasuke kill her."

"Yes he did. It's not important though. Shall I continue?"

"Please!"

InterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninjaInterviewwithaninja

'It was almost dawn and it was no point in trying to go outside, so I went to the coffin room and waited. Shortly after Sasuke came in, licking some stray blood off his thumb. His skin had a glow to it now. It looked healthier. I was almost deceived by a pink tinge.

"Come." He said, arm extended, smiling, forgiving, almost parental. "Let's go to bed." His eyes were charitable and I relaxed, forgot about the girl and the boy, and went to his welcoming embrace. We got into the coffin. He turned and faced me and kissed me full on the lips. It was sweet, brotherly, and like a lover's all at the same time. I could still taste some of the girl's blood on his lips. He pulled the coffin over and I fell asleep immediately.

Sorry that it's taken me this long to update… and that it's so short!!! Hides from crowds throwing tomatoes The only excuse that I have is that IB has taken my life away… I think I'm loosing the battle with my education… sniff sniff darned extended essay…. Anywho please review, if you have the heart to bestow kindness on my unworthy self. Constructive criticism is always welcome!!!


	3. hmm neji in the night

What is it, I wonder, that kept me with Sasuke so long? I think I always kept on thinking, hoping that he would go back to the way that he was before; cold, yes, dismissive, definitely, but never brutal. He used to be caring. Now he seemed to be without remorse, killing without a second thought. It was as if by murdering his brother he cut all ties to humanity. He became an empty shell, just feeding, existing; a parasite of the earth. And here I was with him. I had to accept the fact that I was to kill to survive now, but I could never blame him. I did at first, and whenever I brought up the subject he would look at me and his eyes would loose whatever spark of life that was there that had managed to survive. I couldn't make him go dead completely so I eventually dropped the subject.

Time went by, and I was gratified at first to see Sakura-chan and Kakashi-san's distress at my disappearance. It finally seemed like that Sakura-chan felt my worth. She cried for days when I was pronounced a missing-nin, most likely dead. Iruka was also upset, but I was glad to see him moving on after quite a few months, with Kakashi there to comfort him. It seemed that my disappearance had brought the two closer together. I was happy for them, but that happiness eventually moved to jealousy. Why should they be allowed to love? I could never love like they could.

It may have seemed like I was in love with Sasuke and Sasuke himself may have believed that for a while. Although he kept on promising me that I would get a coffin of my own, it never appeared and I was happy to share his coffin. I liked his arm around me, and he liked my presence there. We started hunting together slowly picking off the beautiful boys and girls from the village, sometimes straying to neighboring visits. I didn't like the way he would seduce the boys before tasting them. He never bothered to be gentle with me when he changed me.

This night was one of many nights. We were on the training grounds waiting for someone to come by. It didn't matter if we ran into a ninja, even if it was a jounin. We were so much more powerful than before. It was an amazing feeling. I was stronger… more capable. It was as if I'd traded in one demon for another, except this demon was much more deadly. It was invisible and controlling. It was a part of me that I could not distinguish from myself or cut away.

Being on the training grounds brought back a lot of memories. I glanced over to Sasuke and thought of how a few years back this would be completely normal, working on combat in the night to improve night vision and reflexes. I would be loud, challenging him to fight, claiming my superiority and Sasuke would be smirking back at me prepared for a challenge. Tonight though, all was quiet. Sasuke stood still, still as a statue, and I could not help but marvel at his marble features, cold, smooth, hard. I never ceased to be amazed by his beauty.

We heard it before we saw anything, the heartbeat of some poor human coming closer. Sasuke tensed and hid himself in the shadows. I followed suit. Neji stepped into the training grounds. It was the first time I'd seen him after my 'disappearance.' He had not changed much. Now I was able to view him with a pleasure that I would never have thought I would when I was human. With my new eyesight his pale skin seemed to glow with life. It was warmer than Sasuke's; I could tell that just from looking. It was soft. I longed to touch it, but in the few months that I'd been with Sasuke I'd learned self-control. Still, his long brown hair flowed silkily over his shoulders and it was hard to win over the impulse to go straight to him. He was, after all, one of the most beautiful people that I'd ever known.

He started practicing, warming up, doing target practice. Now I could see his power clearer than ever before, and the best of it was that I could see that he'd barely tapped into his potential. He would grow so much, become one of the strongest ninja in Konohoa's history. I could see it all laid out before him. Another wave of jealousy coursed through me, hot, burning. Where had my life gone? I no longer could prove myself to the village. I would not ever be able to test my strength as a ninja. I would not become Hokage.

A shiruken came whizzing at me and lodged itself in my shoulder. I had not even tried to block it, so deeply was I wrapped in my thoughts.

'Come out. I know you're there.' He threw another shiruken into the shadows where Sasuke was standing. Sasuke caught it easily and stepped out into the moonlight.

'You!' Neji gasped. I decided to come into the open as well. I pulled the shiruken out of my arm, and immediately the skin healed over. 'Naruto!' His surprise disappeared quickly though and his eyes narrowed. 'Who are you really? Who sent you?' he questioned.

'We,' Sasuke motioned to himself and me, 'are exactly who we appear to be.' Sasuke started walking towards him and Neji immediately got into a visible defensive stance.

'Don't lie to me!' Neji said. 'I can see that you are not even human!'

'Of course you can.' Sasuke stated. 'I do not doubt the powers of your byakugen. We are no longer human.'

Neji had no reply to this and gripped his kunai tighter. All this time I was wondering why Sasuke was saying so much. Surely we would be in danger if this got out?

'How can I make you think we are who we say we are?' Sasuke asked. 'Just believe us Neji.' Sasuke's voice had changed slightly. It was more pleading, softer, humble. Neji lowered his kunai a little.

'Why did you leave?' Neji asked, directing his question at me.

'I didn't.' Somehow I hadn't wanted to reply. It was the first time that I'd spoken to anyone from my old life. It was like a spell had been broken. Yes, I was living with Sasuke and I did feel guilty, but at the same time I had not really had to face myself.

'Do you know how upset Hinata is? What could have been so important that you would leave Konoha?' His eyes flickered over to Sasuke. 'I can still hear Hinata cry herself to sleep every night, even though she tries to hide it. Did you not think of us? Did you not think of Iruka-sensei or Sakura? Why didn't you at least leave a message? I would have expected that of you.'

'I couldn't.' I said, choking back tears. 'I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!' I felt terrible at being the cause of so much pain.

'You took him away, didn't you?' Neji asked, now directing his attention to Sasuke. 'You couldn't bare the thought of coming back, so you took Naruto for yourself.' I could see Sasuke frown ever so slightly. 'You didn't want to face us!'

'Why would I want to show myself to people who wouldn't accept me?' Sasuke's voice had lost its sugary edge now and Neji looked as though he was going to start fighting at any moment. 'There's no way I would be forgiven. Why should I come back to you lot with your 'holier-than-thou' attitudes and condescending glances?'

'You haven't changed a bit.' Neji stated. 'You never opened up to us, never gave us a chance. You distanced yourself from everyone. Now you've become even worse. What makes you think we wouldn't want you back? Do you know how devastated everyone was? And I'm not just talking about your fan club.'

'I'm not so sure everyone would be as forgiving as you, Neji. Do you remember how the village treated Naruto? The Kyuubi incident wasn't even something that he had any direct part in, and yet they shunned him, tried to make him as miserable as possible just to satisfy their own selfish desires and need for superiority.' I wished he wouldn't pull me into his argument. Still, he continued. 'In Konoha everyone is taken care of like a family. There is always going to be someone to look out for you, someone to go to. That's what it seems like at first until you dig deeper, look behind those smiling masks, discover what people are really thinking. You've never lost your family, Neji, so you wouldn't know what its like. Naruto and I were both orphaned, both switched from house to house, charity to charity, carer to carer, and each time we encountered someone new, they were always thinking… "How long do I have to have this burden?"'

'It's not like that at all!'

'What would you know about it!?' Sasuke shouted. I could feel that the situation was going to go downhill from here, and I tried to divert their attention.

'Sasuke, we should get going now.' I said, indicating to the moon's low level on the horizon.

'Not yet, Naruto.' Sasuke replied. 'I wonder what will happen when Neji tells the Godamine all about us tomorrow… I'm sure we won't get glowing reports.' All his anger seemed to be gone now. He wore his predatory smirk again. My heart sank. I was fearful. 'Neji,' Sasuke continued, 'I'm afraid I can't let you leave. If you told anyone that we were here, it would mean that we would have to leave Konoha… and that would be very inconvenient.'

'It's you!' Neji gasped. 'You've been killing the boys and girls of the village! Why? You're not human anymore…what are you?'

'Don't worry Neji,' Sasuke's voice was once again calm and soft, 'you don't need to trouble yourself with these things. By tomorrow they will all be gone.' Sasuke was staring directly into Neji's eyes and Neji had loosened his stance a little. 'We will leave the village soon, so don't think too hard about it.' Sasuke said, reassuring, soothing. He started to walk towards him. 'Relax.' Sasuke whispered, and stopped just in front of him. Neji did relax and let down his arm holding up the kunai. He seemed listless, like a rag doll with empty eyes.

Sasuke took the kunai from his hand and let it fall to the floor. Neji's eyes had a glassy look though they were still focused on Sasuke's.

'How did you... ' I began, but was silenced with a quick hand motion from Sasuke. Sasuke took Neji's hand and kissed it and Neji blushed. It was very cute, I decided, especially as Neji almost never showed his emotions, and would definitely not ever blush in public. I was, however, getting worried. Would Sasuke drain him completely, or would he just let enough blood to render him unconscious? If he killed him we wouldn't have to worry about leaving… but if he did… I didn't really want to think about that. All the people we'd killed so far were people that I'd never met before. It was easy to distance myself, but Neji, I didn't think I could kill Neji. It was just too personal.

Sasuke pulled Neji by the hand to a tree and guided him down until they were both leaning against it. How was Sasuke controlling him? Sasuke motioned for me to come and sit down as well. I walked over to them, marveling at Neji's beauty, now he was directly in the moonlight. His silky hair framed his face and his eyes though dull and slightly unfocused, glittered. The best part though, was his skin. The blood rushing through him was what made his cheeks pink and his lips so red. I looked from Sasuke to Neji and back to Sasuke again. I couldn't help but compare the two. I suddenly wished that I had been spending all my months with Neji instead of Sasuke. It was not as though I was romantically attracted to him. I wasn't at all romantically attracted to Sasuke, and in any case there would be no way that the Hyuuga clan would let anything so unorthodox occur within the family, but Neji would have offered so more than Sasuke. He had a life ahead of him, chances, possibilities. Sasuke had avenged his family's death and murdered his brother. He had no way to go, his road had come to a full stop. It was as though he'd been frozen in time at that point and had somehow dragged me with him.

Sasuke was now stroking the side of Neji's face. It pained me to think that Sasuke was going to try to drain him, and that Neji wouldn't even be able to put up a fight. It was not at all the honorable death a ninja should have. I accepted Sasuke's leadership in our odd relationship so I didn't question his actions. It did not cross my mind that I should try to stop him.

'You first.' He ordered. I grabbed Neji's hand, admiring the differences between his soft skin and the calluses on his finger pads and palm. It was so _warm_. I brought his hand to my face, and I could feel his pulse beating in his wrist against my cheek. I am not so sure what impulse led me to do this, but I put down his wrist gently, and pulled the Hyuuga into my lap. I wound my fingers through his silky hair and leaned down and kissed him. It was so _warm_ everything about him was _warm_. I missed it so much. I was surprised when he started to kiss me back. Was Sasuke controlling this? I glanced up to see him staring intently at us.

'Hurry up.' He whispered. It was obvious he yearned desperately for blood. I focused back on Neji. The beat of his heart was so loud and clear. I put my hand over his chest, over his heart and kissed him again, wanting to feel more warmth. Neji's heart beat faster, and my lust for his blood increased as well. I buried my face into his neck, snuggling and feeling the warmth that was there, smelling a mixture of soap, Hinata's ointments, and the woods. I licked his neck, taking up the salt that coated his skin from when he was practicing.

'Hurry up.' Sasuke growled again, impatient. My teeth grazed over his neck, slowly. I was going to savor this. Neji moaned and I couldn't hold back any longer. I bit into him. Suddenly Neji started struggling. The spell had been broken and I had no desire to hold him to me, against his will. Neji staggered up out of my lap.

'What are you doing?' hissed Sasuke. 'Finish it off!' He stood up as Neji stumbled away, clutching his throat, blood seeping through his fingers. I had tasted Neji's blood. It was delicious. Much more so than any other human that I'd tasted so far, and I wanted more. It was a desire creeping slowly through me, tendrils of want crawling through my dead veins. But a picture of Neji flashed through my mind, dead, lifeless, colder than ever Sasuke or I would be. I couldn't do that to him, not after all we'd been through together.

Sasuke started walking to Neji, unhurriedly. After all, what did he have to fear from a weakened mortal? I suddenly realized I couldn't let him do this. I didn't care if we had to leave Konoha. To be honest, I was finding it difficult to go on watching shadows from my old life. I wanted to move on. I grabbed Sasuke's hand and squeezed it.

'What are you doing?' Sasuke looked at me with anger and questioning in his eyes.

'Let him go.' I said. I think it was the first time that I'd actually properly challenged his authority.

'If we let him go, he will notify others of our presence.'

'I don't care.' I said, determinedly. 'You will not touch Neji.' At this point Neji started to run off into the distance. Sasuke started to run after him, but I jumped and threw my weight onto him. We tumbled to the floor, rolling, struggling.

'Get off of me!' Sasuke gasped. I think he honestly had not expected this from me.

'No!' I growled and pinned him more firmly underneath me. I waited until Neji was out of chasing distance then released him. Sasuke sprang up and punched me squarely in the jaw.

'Idiot!' I heard him spit. 'What are we going to do now?' He grabbed my hand and started to run towards the Uchiha complex. It was going to be dawn soon and all the signs of early morning were appearing, going off like little alarms.

'You fool! You complete and utter fool!' He said to me, once we were in the safety of our coffin. 'Dobe, you ruined our chances…' I heard him whisper before I blacked out.

Interviewwithaninjainterviewwithaninjainterviewwithaninjainterveiwwithaninjainterviewwithaninjainterviewithaninja

What'd you guys think? I know I said that I wouldn't make this a yaoi fic, but I seem to have overstepped the boundaries here… heh heh… but this still isn't really a yaoi fic… there's no lovey-dovey stuff… just pure emotion. I feel like Sasuke is the Id and Naruto is the Ego… anywho… I'm sorry that the lengths of the chapters differ so much, but I just write when I get knocked in the head by my muse (or when I'm avoiding college applications!) Ciao! Review s'il vous plait!!!! (Constructive criticism very welcome!)


End file.
